Uribe brands Chávez as coward

Former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe affirmed on Thursday that Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez was "a coward" who is used to insulting "at long distance;" a coward that faints when "face to face" and who fears the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC).

The former president's comments came on his Twitter account in response to Chávez's statement that Uribe failed to launch attacks against FARC in Venezuelan territory because he did not have the "guts." Earlier, Uribe claimed that he ran out of time to launch attacks on FARC during his administration, Efe reported.

Referring to Chávez, Uribe said that "just as he did in the past, he insults at long distance; he faints when face to face; and his legs tremble as he gets pale." Uribe added that at The Summit of Latin America and the Caribbean on Integration and Development held in Cancun, Mexico, in 2010, President Chávez got frightened during the review. 

Diplomatic ties between Colombia and Venezuela went through difficult times as Colombia reported the presence of FARC groups in Venezuelan territory with the alleged support of the Venezuelan Government.

Further, Uribe said on Twitter that "Chávez failed to capture FARC rebels because he was afraid of them; he repeatedly asked us to get them out of Venezuela as we did it with (Rodrigo) Granda," a FARC leader arrested in Caracas in 2004 by Colombian authorities, which unleashed the first major diplomatic crisis between Caracas and Bogota.

Uribe also mentioned that by the end of his term in office, "there was new evidence showing the presence of guerrilla forces in Venezuela." He reported the evidence to his successor, President Juan Manuel Santos, who has undertaken to mend diplomatic relations with Chávez since he took office.

By the time Uribe found about the presence of guerrilla groups in Venezuelan territory, he had "three choices: reporting it, keeping quiet, or launching a military operation in Venezuela. I ran out of time," Uribe stressed.

Translated by Jhean Cabrera